Dead Like Me
by LemonPepsi
Summary: Scott doesn’t think he can carry on without Jean by his side. Roxy is the spawn of Robert Kelly, all priviledge and attitude. Soon Roxy discovers she, now a mutant, can see dead people. Oh, how things complicate...
1. Jean

**Dead like me**

By LemonPepsi

PG

Scott doesn't think he can carry on without Jean by his side. Life at the mansion has come to a halt until the arrival of a mutant with Haley Joel Ozment like powers if you know what I mean :P

**AN- Ok an idea I had been tossing around. It will be good I promise.**

Roxy had been a normal child, and for that her parents were proud. She was at the top of her class and all the other parents talked about hw beautiful she was, and for that they were proud too. But Roxy wasn't happy. Underneath that layer of perfect and preppy mixed all together was an angry, angsty girl.

            Her father Robert Kelly had been an influential politician until his disappearance shortly after the defeat of the Mutant Registration act. Her mother had instilled in her values, well a few anyway. Ok only two. 1- Never ever associate with those of lower social stature than you, especially mutants. 2- beauty and social stature are more important than anything. 

            The trouble started a week after school started. Roxy had woken up with a really bad headache. She looked around and there stood a woman with short red hair.

            "What are you doing in my room?" Roxy demanded.

            The woman's eye's got wide. "You can see me?" 

            "Of course I can see you. What do you take me for a fool?"

            "No, it's just that I'm….I'm…" The woman trailed off.

            "Your what? A mutant?" Roxy laughed out loud at herself. "Wait I remember you. You were the woman my Daddy said put the nail in the coffin of his bill. You're Jean Grey. But that's impossible. Your obituary was in the paper a week ago."

            "What's your name?" The woman asked.

            "Roxanne Kelly. But most people call me Roxy. But I forbid you to do so."

            "Well Roxanne, I AM dead."

            Roxy stood dumbfounded for a moment. Then she let out an ear-piercing scream. The door flew open and her mother stood there. 

            "Roxanne? Are you alright my dear?"

            "Mommy? That dead mutant girl. Is in.my.room." She said carefully breaking each word.

            "Dear there's no one here. You must have been dreaming." Her mother looked straight at Jean and then back to Roxy on the bed.

            "You mean you don't see her?" Roxy asked, shocked.

            "No. Are you feeling alright?" She retorted.

            "Yes. I must've been dreaming. I'll be fine." She waited until she heard her mother's footsteps fade away. "Why can I see you? What is wrong with me?"

            "It might be your mutation. They often activate in times of stress during the teen years. It--"

            "No. I am not and will never be one of you. Ever." Roxy said hurriedly. "I'm going to bed."

And to bed she went. Tomorrow was school.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Roxy was shocked to find the next day that Jean Grey was still in her room. She tried to ignore her as she got ready for school. She pulled on her pleated skirt and blouse, and her cardigan with the Hart Academy emblem on the pocket. 

            She went to school followed by Jean Grey.  She went to assembly followed by Jean Grey. At assembly, the school principal announced that to avoid having any "mutant riff-raff" at their beloved school, they would be giving tests in which students would be required to place a hair in a genetic scanner that would look for any inconsistencies. 

**Hit the review button pleeeeeez!**


	2. Storm

            Roxy chatted lightly with her friend while in line outside the infirmary. They were waiting for their turn to take the genetic test. 

            "Kerrigan, Audrey"

            A girl with dark hair stepped out of the line and into the office.

"Killian, Kyle"

"Kelly, Roxeanne"

Roxy gave one last smile to her friends and followed the boy with blonde hair into the office. _He must be Kyle Killian. Kyle sat down in a chair and the nurse plucked out a hair from his head and sat it on what looked like a copy machine. The light next to it turned green, as it let out a soft ping. Roxy sat down next. The nurse picked out a strand of her perfect blonde hair and sat it down gingerly on the scanner. It scanned once, as it had before with Kyle, then twice then three times. __It didn't take this long before. Then the light turned red, and let out a resounding noise that sounded somewhat like a car alarm. The nurses eyes got wide._

"Of all people, I definitely did not expect this from you!" She snapped snidely. 

"Told you so." Jean chirped.

"There must be some mistake. Please scan it again I'm sure--"

"The scan is never wrong. Take her away." She made a motion that seemed to say get-her-out-of-my-sight. Two of the school's biggest football players escorted her roughly out of the room. Tears streamed down Roxy's face. She looked over to her friends standing at the wall. They simply looked away.

"I'm here don't worry" Jean assured her from behind. "You'll be okay." 

As she was dragged down the hall, some kids whispered, some just talked, but everybody looked the other way*. _So__ this is what it is like to be shunned. They dragged her to the principal's office who, in turn, sat a phone down in front of her._

            "Call someone to come get you. You are hereby expelled." She snarled

            "You don't understand. My mother will disown me. She'll hate me forever--"

            "Then call someone else. I don't care. Just get out of my sight."

            Roxy had all she could stand. She burst into sobs.

            "Roxy," She heard Jean whisper. "Calm down. Call 642-8307** Ask for Storm. Tell her to come get you. She will understand." Reluctantly, She picked up the receiver and dialed. 

            "H-hello?" Her voice quavered, and she fought off the urge to sob right into the phone.

            "M-may I s-s-s…" She broke off, regained her composure and then said it all in one breath, "I-need-to-speak-to-Storm."

            "This is Storm." The voice on the other end said.

            "Please. You have to come get me." Roxy had started to cry again.

            "Okay sweetheart where are you?" She asked.

            "Hart Academy in Pennsylvania." Roxy said softly.

            "We coming to get you." Storm said comfortingly. The principal reached forward and took the phone away. She quickly sprayed it with disinfectant, and carried out of the room.

            "Jean?" Roxy hissed. "Who did I just call?"

            "Xavier's institute for gifted youngsters."

            "The mutant school?!?!" Roxy whispered, horrified. "So the woman coming to get me is a, a--"

"Mutant."

            "Remind me again why I started listening to you?" Roxy said under her breath.

            "Because I am currently the only who hasn't condemned you for your mutant genes."

            "Oh yeah." Roxy went back to silently letting tears roll down her cheeks. Time passed, silence did too. 

            "Isn't the Xavier institute in New York?" Roxy said suddenly.

            "Yes it is." Jean replied.

            "Isn't that a bit far to drive?" Roxy said in between sniffles.

            "You'd be surprised."

The principal came in and told her to go wait outside. Roxy stepped out of the office. 

            "No. I mean Outside. As in outside of the building."

            "But it's snowing." 

            "I don't care."

            "I won't go." Roxy said defiantly.

            "Yes you will." She grabbed Roxy by the scruff of her neck and dragged her out of the room to the front door. She opened the door and threw her out.

            "What are you doing?" A voice boomed. Roxy looked up from the snow with her tear streaked face and bloodshot eyes. A woman with white hair stood in front of her.

            "Throwing a child out into the snow. You ought to be ashamed." The woman added. Roxy looked back. Jean was standing near behind her. She was crying.

            "Storm." She said softly.

            Storm reached down and helped Roxy up. She dusted the snow off of her and wrapped a jacket around her shoulders.

            "Come on." She said softly. Any other time Roxy would have cringed at being this close to a mutant.  Now, this one was her saving grace. 

            "I'm Ororo Monroe." The woman said gently.

            "Also known as Storm I take it?" Roxy said softly as they walked out towards the parking lot.

            "Yes, How did you know?" She smiled. "Are you a telepath?"

            "A what? No. I don't think so anyway." She said suddenly.

            Storm opened the door to a small car nearby. Roxy climbed in to the back. Storm was about to let the seatback when Roxy exclaimed: 

            "Wait! My friend. She has to come too."

            "Oh my, Did we leave her inside?" Storm said suddenly.

            "No, you--" Roxy broke off for a moment. "can't-see-her" She said quickly and quietly. 

            "What?" Storm said.

            "You can't see her. Don't ask. Long story." She quipped.

            "Okay." Storm replied quickly.

            The ride home was shorter than Roxy expected. They had hardly driven out of town when the stopped at a car rental dealership.

            "What are we doing here?" Roxy  asked.

            "Returning the car." Storm replied.

            "You didn't drive here?"

            "Nope." Storm smiled. "I came here in a jet."

…………………..Later in the jet…………………………….

"You know, I don't think I ever caught your name."  Storm said quickly to break the silence.

"It's Roxy." She replied.

"Do you have a last name?" Storm asked.

"Does it matter?" she snapped.

"As a matter of fact, It does." Storm replied.

"Kelly."

"Any relation to the late Robert Kelly?" Storm went on.

"My father."

"Wait a moment." Storm said. "Are you a mutant?"

"Yes. Would you just leave me alone!" Roxy yelled. She had enough excitement for one day. She turned around and went to sleep.

            AN: Ta-Da! Chappy 2! Do you like??

*From Independence Day by Martina McBride

** Not a real number

By the way, I don't know if I have really made her mutation clear so  I will just tell you what it is. Roxy can see dead people so to speak.


	3. Meetings

**AN- From now on when Jean speaks her words will be italicized to remind you that only Roxy can here what she says. Keep that in mind, and remember that when Roxy is looking at Jean that it appears that she is looking at thin air. Things that are italicized with no quotes are thoughts.**

Roxy woke up as the jet descended to land. The Basketball court below them opened and the Jet landed in a big room. Roxy was astounded.

            "Welcome to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. I'm sure you'll like it here." Storm smiled.

            Roxy allowed herself to be led inside, into an elevator, and up to a Victorian- style mansion. A man with dark hair and bulging muscles came up to Storm. 

            "Everyone is waiting for you. The Professor read her mind and says she has something to tell us." 

            "He what?!?!" Roxy said shocked.

            _"__Logan_.."_ Jean sniffled._

            "No whining." Roxy said nonchalantly.

            Logan raised an eyebrow. _Did that Kid just tell thin air not to whine?_  He and Storm led Roxy to a large room. There were several people inside, more than Roxy cared to count. There were to empty chairs near where she was standing. She watched as Jean walked over to one sat down. Roxy raised an eyebrow but attempted to follow suit.

            _"No. That is Scott's chair." Jean chirped._

            "I'm sorry but that is someone else's chair." Storm said quietly.

            "I know. SOMEONE," She stared straight at he vapid space that was Jean "Has already informed me of that." Roxy realized that her behavior was starting to freak some of the mutants out. _You should be proud of yourself Roxy , scaring mutants isn't an easy thing to do.._

"Would someone please go get Scott." The bald man at the end of the table asked quietly. A young girl with brown hair and a white streak in the front hopped up. She raced off, and returned five minutes later.  A man with Dark hair and red glasses came in. He looked rough, he hadn't shaved and he moved as if life were slowly being sucked out of him. 

            "_Oh Scott." Jean said softly. She reached out to him but her hand went right through his._

            "Alright, X-men, I would like to introduce Miss Roxeanne Kelly. She discovered her mutation earlier today and called Storm to come get her. She will be staying here for the remainder of the school year." He turned to Roxy, "I've already informed your mother." He turned back to the group, "Roxeanne has an interesting gift. Would you like to tell us Miss Kelly?"

            "First tell us how the daughter of a mutant persecutor knew to call Storm when her mutation surfaced." A boy with blonde hair said, with a less than kind tone.

            "Jean told me." She said softly. There was a collective gasp.

            "What did you just say?" The man with the glasses growled.

            "Jean told me she--" Roxy broke off. It was then Jean decided to start telling her about her relationship to each member of the X-men. She was basically babbling.

            To the X-men it looked like Roxy simply broke off and her eyes got wide. She looked over to Jean's seemingly empty chair. 

            "Knock it off." Roxy hissed. "I can't hear anybody else but you. Calm down."

Roxy looked back to the group. Then back to the chair.

……X-men's point of view…….

"Jean. Be quiet!" Roxy said sternly.

"Stop. I'm freaking them out because I have to keep telling you to shut up."

"What?"

"No. I'm not going to say that."

"Right now? In front of everyone? No!"

"Okay fine you win."

"Scott, Jean says It's not your fault. She did what she had to."

"What?" She said looking at the chair again.

"Oh, okay, She says she loves you too."

"She says that she misses all of you and," She looked at the empty chair, "No Jean I really refuse to say that." 

"Stop this!" Scott suddenly snapped. "How are we to know that she is telling the truth and not making it up."

Roxy sat still for a moment.

"Any ideas?" She said looking to what was supposedly Jean. She stood there for a moment, and then her mouth dropped open and her eyes got wide.

"It's gonna take a while to lose that mental image." She motioned for Scott, who hesitantly stood up and walked over to her. Roxy whispered something into his ear.

Scott looked at Roxy in disbelief. "There's no way you could have known that. Only Jean knows that." He blushed. "Jean?" His voice broke. Storm got up and helped Scott back to his chair. A tear ran down his cheek. Roxy looked over at Jean. She was crying too. For the first time in a long time, her heart broke for Jean. She suddenly understood. There was silence for a moment.

            "I believe that is enough for one day." The bald man, later introduced as Professor Xavier, said. "You will room with Rogue."

            The Girl with brown hair and a white streak led her down the hall, up the stairs and to a room at the end of the hall. She opened the door. Roxy noticed that Jean was no longer following her. There was a boy in Rogue's room.

            "Who is he?" Roxy asked motioning to the corner.

            "Who is who?" Rogue asked

            "The boy. In your room." Roxy said, hoping to herself that Rogue had just missed the fact that he was in the room.

            "There's no one there" Rogue said softly.

            "That must mean…" Roxy trailed off.

            "Who are you?" Roxy snapped, pointing at the boy that Rogue couldn't see.

            "_Cody" He replied._

            "Do you know a Cody?" Roxy said softly.

            "Oh my gawd." Rogue said looking faint.

…………………Later downstairs…………………..

"I think I am gathering a dead people posse." Roxy said. She was sitting on the couch with her arms crossed. Jean and Cody were sitting on either side of her. Rogue, whom Bobby was having to hold to keep from shaking, had been making an attempt at explaining who Cody was but every time she tried she would burst into tears or involuntarily shake or something to that affect. Roxy was very tired of the entire ruse, but Rogue insisted on telling the story. Roxy was beginning to think Cody was crazy. He didn't talk much. When he did talk it made no sense.  He often yelled or made sudden movements. Roxy wondered if he had died by electrocution. Occasionally he babbled about Rogue. Roxy wished he'd just leave her alone.

_"Marie. Ma-rie MA-RIE!"_ Cody cackled loudly.

"If you weren't already dead. I'd kill you." Roxy's voice dripped venom.

"What?" Bobby was holding Rogue closer, as if he were afraid Roxy was about to kill Rogue.

"I was talking to Rogue's deceased, er.. deranged ex." She stood up, for third time today, deciding enough was enough.

Jean had walked away. Cody, thankfully, was still in the living room watching Rogue and Bobby. _He is downright creepy._

As Roxy submerged in her thoughts, She looked up to see she was about to run into a boy at the end of the hall. 

            "I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going." Roxy said suddenly

            "What? Oh, um It's Ok." He smiled brightly. "I'm Ethan."

            "Hi. My name's Roxy." This guy was cute. Tall, dark and handsome. Roxy stuck Out her hand to shake his.

            "I don't shake hands. Uh…It um spreads germs." Ethan said quickly.

            Roxy raised an eyebrow but put her hand in her pocket. 

            "How would you like a tour of The Xavier mansion?" He said with a melt-a-girl smile.

            "I'd love it." Roxy smiled.


	4. Ethan

Ethan's tour of the mansion was the most fun Roxy had in a long time.  He showed her the back routes, they hardly saw any of the other students at all. He led her back up to her room and explained that he had Danger Room sessions. Roxy went to ask what Danger room sessions were but he was gone before she could. 

            By now it was late, Roxy headed back upstairs to her room.

            "Is he still there?"  Rogue's voice quavered.

            Roxy opened the door. "Yup." She went into the bathroom changed her clothes and went to bed.

Roxy awoke in the middle of the night, or the next morning rather

1:45

Her clock flashed red in the light.

She slid out from under her covers.  Cody was floating an inch or so away from Rogue. 

"What are you doing?" Roxy hissed. "Get away from her."  Cody looked maliciously at her but backed away from Rogue. "Don't make me call an exorcist." She snapped before flipping on a robe and heading out into the hall. Everyone had gone to bed. It was quiet and dark.  Just the way Roxy liked it. 

She walked downstairs to the kitchen. She opened the freezer and pulled out a pint of Ice cream. 

She sat and ate it for a few minutes, unsatisfied, she decided to walk around the mansion. She simply wasn't tired.

She wandered to a large tapestry that hung in a random spot on the wall. What was it Ethan said about secret escape passages?

She pushed the tapestry out of the way. To her surprise, it swung. A blank wall was behind it. _Why would the tapestry swing if there was nothing behind it? Ethan said that if anything happened that they would escape through a tunnel that connected to all the floors. She smacked the wall with both hands. The wall slid open to reveal a large passage. Roxy slipped in letting the tapestry swing behind her. There were cobwebs all around, and the whole passage was covered in dust. __Ethan said the mansion was raided two weeks ago. _He said they escaped through the passage. Then why are there cobwebs everywhere? Unless…..This isn't the escape route. It's a real secret passage._ Roxy crept along in the darkness.  The hall way ended. There were two doors. Roxy chose the one to the left.  She pushed through to a closet.  She shoved her way out of the closet to the bedroom on the other side, Scott's room. Something inside her pushed her to go on. In the darkness she could see that Scott was fast asleep.  She took a step forward. Jean sat at the edge of the bed, gently running her fingers through Scott's hair, or trying to anyway. Jean wept silently, bitterly as she watched her lover sleep. Roxy slid back into the passage and went through the opposite door. Behind that door was a library. It was old and dark and it looked like no one had used it in years.  It was beautiful. Full walls of books and swing that hung from the ceiling.  Roxy smiled. Her own corner of the mansion to hide in. A place of refuge. Her heart leapt for joy. She went to bed that night torn inside. Happy for her discovery and sad for Jean and Scott._

………………………………………………………………………………….

            The next morning Roxy was awakened by Rogue. 

            "Get up. We've gawt danger room today. C'mon We gotta go, get up." 

            Roxy scowled and rolled out of the bed. 

5:30

            That brings the grand total of sleep to 2 hours and 45 minutes. Roxy dragged herself to her closet. _Pants.__ Shirt. Socks.  Roxy was so tired she could hardly see straight. _

"Nuh-uh. Take this." Rogue threw Roxy a spandex uniform.

            Tired and cranky, Roxy screwed up her face in preparation to curse. Apparently, The face was enough to get the point across to Rogue. She promptly cut Roxy off before the expletives could start. "I don't make the rules, sugah" She shrugged.

            Fifteen minutes later, Rogue and Roxy shuffled into the ready room.*

            "Sorry we're late. Someone was bein' slow this mornin'" Rogue shot a look to Roxy.

            "Can it." Roxy snapped.

            "_hmmm__…. This wouldn't have anything to do with your sleepwalking habits would it? I saw you by the way."  Jean said snidely._

            "Shut it, Jean."  She snarled to what looked like thin air.

            "What's gotten into her?" Bobby whispered to Storm. Storm shrugged.

            "She seems to have the same attitude as yesterday to me." Storm shared a smirk with Bobby.

            "Where's Scott?"  Roxy asked rubbing her eyes and yawning.

            "He opted out today. Something about emotional instability." A girl with long dark hair answeredâ. She smiled, but it was a sad smile, the kind that comes from someone who had been through a lot in a short amount of time. She held out her hand and smiled, "My name's Kitty Pryde."

            Danger Room passed quickly and luckily uneventfully with Roxy dragging behind the other students. Storm was merciless. 

            Roxy was so tired she could hardly move. She dragged herself down to the living room where she promptly collapsed on the couch.

            "Dibs on the remote!!!" Roxy stuck her head up. Two young boys came running. One bumped into the other knocking him to the ground. The boy on the ground suddenly became four boys, and the other boy promptly leapt over her to the remote. Roxy decided to seek a more peaceful place to sleep.

            She slowly walked up to her room and opened the door. Rogue and Bobby were engaged in a make-out session (through what Roxy thought looked much like a large dryer sheet). They hardly noticed. 

            "Oh my, I'm so sorry…leaving now…" Roxy said grabbing her sweatshirt and running off. 

            Roxy was about to pass out now, and she stumbled down the hall way. She stopped at a door she'd never noticed before and flung it open. A library, quiet and devoid of any students, lay behind the door. She didn't look around. She simply plopped in the nearest squishy chair. She tried to bury her head in the corner of the chair. _Sleep. Must have sleep…_

Scott watched Roxy lazily wander in, fall out in a chair and instantly sleep.  _She has no idea where she is. Jean's library._ _Jean loved to find solace in this often forgotten library. The professor had told her it was one of three in the mansion. She had only seen one of the other ones, the main one downstairs. Older students mostly used this one. And when they did it was during the day. Jean usually came in here at night, reading until she fell asleep in a chair. Much like Roxy was now._

            Scott turned back to looking sadly out of the window. Roxy had made things more difficult for him. Before, he believed Jean was in a better place. The thought of her wandering forever with no meaning, hurt him more than losing her in the first place. 

â- From now on, characters with this symbol made minor appearances in the movie. I am basing their characters on X-men: evolution a rather brilliant cartoon.


End file.
